I used to be on a forum for endometriosis many years ago and there was one poster whose life was too bad to be true. She had everything going wrong for her. But there were always cracks in her stories so that everything didn't add up. Before the the Internet I had come across similar people in RL . I suppose with the Internet they can indulge their fantastic lives online where they are unlikely to be found out.

Hmmm, well person on group two (the one who has a major crisis every month or two) posted yesterday with, yep, another major crisis. Then disappeared. Cue lots of statuses this morning from fellow group members tagging her and saying if she's read it just to get in touch.

She's probably reading it, chuckling away to herself, and planning her next crisis.

I agree with everlong - leave the groups. I had a similar experience where I joined a FB group to do with a medical condition. Initially I was relieved to find other people to talk to about it (it's not common), but the group became dominated by people who had self-diagnosed and were trying to out compete each other with tales of woe. I voted with my feet, felt sad for about 24 hours, and then felt much better!

I suppose it irritates me and becomes an issues as often the whole board revolves around the attention seekers; posts asking after them, posts from people saying they have text them and received no reply, posts tagging said person with information to help with their latest problem.

I've noticed too that at times other peoples' problems do get overlooked or ignored because everyone's attention and sympathy goes on the attention seekers.

I'm coming to the conclusion that the attention seekers are just good at writing gripping posts

YABU to let it irritate you, if you don't get involved why is it an issue? I think that online forums are the only platform some people have to attract people's attention and they get addicted to it, a bit sad really.

I go on two facebook groups. Both started out on parenting forums and we now post on Facebook groups to keep things more confidential and private. I like both groups and enjoy posting on both however each group has a token attention seeking member and it's really getting on my nerves, however other members seem to love it and really pander to the attention seekers and it's really irritating me.

Board one: token attention seeker is always pregnant or ill. Nothing is ever uncomplicated for her. Every day there is some such crisis or another, be it she has a sore throat, her midwife found protein in her urine, or a row with her husband. Every single day there is something. She will do a long epic post about it, then disappear, gets loads of replies and advice, never acknowledges the replies, then appears the following day with that day's problem and posts about that, and off the pattern goes again.

Board two's token attention seeker does things slightly differently. Her problems will always be big catastrophe's. Really big things that shock people. I'd best not say on here what they are as who knows, she may on here. But pretty big things. She'll post a really long post about what's happened, and her latest problem, and again like the woman on the other group will do a runner and not reply at all. For weeks. And everyone will be asking after her, tagging her in posts asking how she is, texting her and getting no reply. Then maybe 3 or 4 weeks later she will reappear, and post another big catastrophe. And then that cycle will start again too.

I have long since stopped pandering to either of them and don't tend now to reply to every post they both make as I figure no one's lives could be that dramatic. I do reply but not all the time, and nor do I get involved in the texting, PM-ing saga that happens after they both post, to check they are ok, and to which neither of them ever reply. So many others seem to fall for it though! Why??